Chance at Peace
by Peijjii
Summary: After a sudden urge to escape his studies, Estonia ends up in a storm in the Gulf of Riga. Fate introduces him to a mysterious abondoned island. Later after taking on the challenge of raising a small country under his wing, the new and booming country teaches the world a lesson about world peace. This story features all characters and a new character on an enlightening journey.
1. Introduction

Chance of Peace: A Hetalia Fanfiction

Raging waters threw themselves against the boat, threatening the one-man crew aboard. The captain's sudden urge to escape his studies transformed into an endless feeling of regret. A brutal roll of thunder following a blinding crack of lightning caused him to fall backwards and sent his glasses overboard. Even though the ship wasn't very large, he never expected it to take such damage. As he lunged towards the side of the ship, he spotted a sight for sore eyes in the distance: a mass of land. The boat sailed violently in its direction. After a brutal clash along the dark rocky shore, the captain sprinted towards a cluster of trees and large stones. His breath began to stagger and his heart pounded against his rib cage. As everything faded into darkness, a hand pressed against his trembling shoulder. Somewhere in the Gulf of Riga, fate introduced the lad to a chance at peace.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

The sound of rocks crushing against each other awoke the lost captain resting upon a pile of lush leaves. His eyes, sensitive to the sunshine peeking in from the tree tops, cautiously opened to the surroundings, Although his body ached, he rolled to his side to escape the sun's rays. To his shock, something else rolled with him… and it was breathing. Snapping to his natural defense skills, he unlatched his knife from his belt. He listened carefully; it sounded as if it were asleep. Still not knowing if there were any threat, he kept a tight grip on the knife. As stealthily as he could, he flipped his body over to face the creature next to him. Startled so terribly, the knife flew out of his grasp.

Bundled warmly in an antique-looking cloth, a small child snuggled next to him. Its feeble breaths relaxed his nerves and invited him closer. The child's face showed traces of dirt and tiny scratches, as if it were neglected or lost. That's when it hit the lad: where were the parents? As he searched the area, he couldn't help but notice how strangely different the environment was from his own. The crisp air serenaded the blossoming trees draping over rustic stones and the warm water streams danced down the crevices in the rich soil and dark rocks. Perhaps it wasn't a warm vacation island like Hawaii, but the other-worldly charm enchanted him on a deep level.

After an hour of searching for any nearby civilizations, he turned back to where he had awoken, but the small child seemed to be gone.

"Where are you, little one?" he called out as gently as he could. The soft pitter-patter of feet echoed behind him. Tugging at his military-style coat, the child giggled and smiled at him. "Where's your mommy and daddy?" The child's face sinked and looked around helplessly.

"Vati?" the child whispered. The lad, known for his intellectual pursuits, wondered if the child were German since it used the German word for "father".

"Wie heißt du?" he asked unconfidently. The child just sat there and stared back at him. _Did it understand me?_

"N-Néng gào sù wǒ nǐ de míng zí má?" it stuttered back. _Wait, was that Chinese? Is this child trying to play a trick on me? Those innocent eyes though… they say otherwise. _"Jag är förvirrad."

"Little one, I'm not sure how to speak to you," he mumbled. He took the child's hands and placed them in his. Then, he placed both of their hands on his tapered coat. "Estonia."

"...Estonia?" the child whispered, as if it rang a bell in its memory somewhere.

"Yes, yes. My name is Estonia." he then placed their hands on the child's chest. "Now, what is your name?" Confused and juvenile, the child plopped onto the ground of rubble. "So strange. Why is a child like yourself doing out here? Where is everyone else? Who are you?" That's when it finally clicked. "You're a country, aren't you?" The child, distracted by tiny fish in a nearby stream, lost all interest in Estonia's questions. He sat down and watched the child play in the water and began to talk to himself.

"You're dress is so pretty. I'm suggesting you must be a girl, but after seeing pictures of Italy as a child, I feel like I shouldn't assume such things," he laughed. Suddenly the child tripped and landed in a puddle. After standing back up, the child lifted its dress and attempted to shake the water off. Estonia blushed and shook his head. "W-Well, thanks for answering that, girly." Her dress resembled somewhat of an Asian culture with its long and graceful sleeves, but she also wore something of a European bodice around her tummy. A withering silk bow tied up the back of her wavy black hair and both her wrists were covered with a variety of bracelets ranging from a metal ringlet to pearls on eroding yarn. Her skin looked somewhat Caucasian with a slight bronze tan. To Estonia, she breathed hints of different cultures around the world. "I feel sorry for you. It's a big world out there; you don't match to any other country. There's no chance for you to grow much. At least whoever abandoned you left you in somewhat good shape." As if she could suddenly understand him, she walked towards him and pulled on his coat. "Yes, dear?" Pulling on his pinky finger, she started leading him towards the center of her island. "Do you want to show me something?"

* * *

Meanwhile in Russia's house…

"Oh, Latvia~" hummed Russia. Responding to his call, Latvia ran to his boss and saluted him.

"Y-Yes sir?" he quivered.

"You have seen Estonia today, da?" Latvia's eyes widened. He remembered how frustrated Estonia was the day before with a book.

"N-No sir. The last time I saw him was when he stormed out the door and said he was to go sailing until he calmed down."

"Hm. I heard a storm pass by last night. Hopefully he didn't get caught in it." Latvia's face grew grim seeing that Russia's happy smile didn't budge.

"Haha, yeah… that would be pretty awful." he responded as his stomach tied in knots.

"Well, see you around!~" Russia walked away, pulling a bottle of vodka from his coat sleeve. With his right eye twitching nervously, Latvia set off on a hunt to find Lithuania. Sitting in a chair reading, Lithuania noticed his fellow Baltic state trembling with fear.

"Dear God, what did you do to Russia this time? You're as white as a ghost!" exclaimed Lithuania. Tears began to form in Latvia's childish eyes.

"Russia asked me if I saw Estonia today and I said no and he said there was a storm last night and if Estonia got in it and why is Russia so scary and have you seen Estonia and.." Latvia continued to tremble and sob as Lithuania watched him.

"Calm down! Estonia's an ace student; he's smart enough to take care of himself, right? Also, he mentioned paying a visit to the library today. You know how caught up her gets at the library, am I right?" joked Lithuania nervously. "He has a history of avoiding conflicts with Russia and you think he would get in the conflict of a silly storm?" Latvia's eyes sunk into his skull a little deeper. "Stop being like that, you're creeping me out!"


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

The bountiful and lush leaves gradually became thicker as the two hiked their way into the center of the island. Estonia fumbled on nearly every rock and plant he encountered, but the little girl swiftly dodged through them as if she was dancing with nature. Suddenly, the girl plopped down on the ground beside a cherry blossom tree looking somewhat rustic and ancient.

"Time-" huffed Estonia, "F-for a break, eh?" He fell to his knees in defeat. "How can someone like you maneuver through a place like this? Well, at least we can take a break-" Estonia was cut off by the sound of chains jingling together. The girl, now reaching beneath a large root of the glorious tree, grabbed the end of a long chain. As she slowly walked backwards while pulling, the facade of the tree trunk moved upwards revealing a secret passageway. Grabbing his hand, the girl lead Estonia to the gap in the tree. "You want me to go in here?" Before she could grab the first rail of the ladder, he put his hand on her shoulder. "I really don't think you should do that by yourself, little one. Here, climb on my back." After kneeling down for his newly found friend, the girl hopped on his back and clung to his neck. They cautiously climbed their way down the creaky ladder. Descending into darkness, Estonia contemplated whether they were in serious danger or not. Finally feeling solid ground beneath his feet, he let go of his tight grip on the ladder. He stood there while trying to adjust his eyes as the girl scurried off elsewhere. With a violent snap, rows of torches lit up and illuminated the long-abandoned room.

"Licht an!" giggled the girl. Estonia stood there in amazement. Light gleamed off the array of precious metals and decorations on the walls hung with heroic pride. Clothing draped on crude wooden mannequins serenaded ages of culture and history. Scrolls of fading maps and writings begged to be read and the remaining crates on the shelves possessed the excitement of discovery.

"...Where are we?" whispered Estonia. He never saw something so interesting and overflowing with extensive knowlege since his book collection. Dropping respectfully to his knees, he felt a sense of pure joy overcome him.

"...Eesti?" the girl whispered.

"Jah?"

"Varjupaik."

* * *

Meanwhile at the World Meeting...

"Listen here, frog!"

"I have pasta!~"

"I'm the hero so everyone will do what I say!"

"Hey! Potato bastard!"

"I'm the oldest so shut up now, aru!

"My hair is far more silkier than-"

"Heeeeey! Who wants pasta?~"

"Who are you?"

"I'm Canada…"

"C'mon! Who wants pasta!?~"

Nothing out of the ordinary, the room stuffed full of nations reached an uncomfortable mass chaos. The main events included England and France throwing fists at each other, Russia pulling on Latvia's hair, America declaring himself a hero, China giving his 4,000 year old speech, Canada fading away in the corner, and Italy trying to spoonfeed pasta to Germany. Sitting in the middle of the conference table, Germany fumed with anger. His face twitched and his large fists clenched together.

_BAM! _

Germany, who had kicked the bottom of the table so hard, sent the table flying and onto the far wall. Silence flooded the room and every nation looked towards him. This wasn't the first time he had to restore the temporary peace of the nations.

"I DON'T KNOW WHY WE EVEN GET TOGETHER WHEN WE CAN'T EVEN GET ALONG WITH EACH OTHER YOU SHOULD ALL BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES LOOK AT THIS MESS WE'VE CREATED NOW WE ARE GOING TO TAKE TURNS TALKING WITH FIVE MINUTES EACH TO SPEAK WITHOUT INTERRUPTION OR I SWEAR I'LL UMPH-"

Without the slightest hesitation, Italy shoved a fork full of pasta down Germany's throat.

"Okay Germany now that you've had your turn, it's my turn! Ve!~" Germany's protesting was silenced by the outrageous amount of pasta in his mouth, so Italy began to discuss his important topics as all the other nations listened painfully.

"...And that's why I have really bad issues after I eat gelato." he concluded.

"..."

"Okay, now I'll choose the next person to talk… hm… I choose my friend, Japan!" Flushed in embarrassment, Japan stood up in front of the audience.

"Konnichiwa, fellow nations. Resulting from Germany's recent meltdown, I would like to also address the recent problems in this room. I propose from now on…"

Japan talked about ideas to improve the atmosphere in the room; he could read that the atmosphere seemed unfriendly and heavy. On the far side of where the table once was, Latvia whispered quietly to Lithuania.

"Nobody seemed to notice that Estonia was missing…"

"I know. I hope he's okay"

"Should we bring this up when it's our turn to talk?"

"I don't know. Maybe it wouldn't be wise to worry the other nations."

"If everyone's so focused on their own issues, would they really worry?"

"..."

After Japan finished his five minutes of speaking, France, England, China, and Cuba also spoke for the other nations. After given permission to speak, America began to argue recent conflict and introduce outrageous strategies.

"What if he's lost in the ocean somewhere?" whispered Latvia.

"For the last time, he's going to be alright!" responded Lithuania louder than he had intended.

"Excuse me! The hero is talking!" screamed America at the two Baltic States. They trembled at the sound of his booming voice. "How rude… but since my time for speaking is over, how about you talk about what is so important." More upset than usual, America sat in his chair and stared angrily into the Baltics.

"I'm really sorry for interrupting you, America," spoke Latvia timidly, "But our other Baltic, Estonia, has been missing for two days now. I asked Lithuania if he thought he was going to be okay and I miss him and what if he's hurt and oh my what if he went overboard during the storm and…" His words slowly dissolved in his tears and he shook more violently. Lithuania put his hand on Latvia's shoulders and attempted to calm him down. Feeling guilty, America sighed and walked towards the small country.

"Hey, bro… I'm sorry." The nations who were both heartbroken by Latvia's worries for his friend and shocked by America's rare apology, began to show concern for more than their own problems. "It looks like everyone including myself got so caught up in our own problems."

"It's true." added England.

"How disappointing, aru…" mumbled China. Russia, the only one who looked completely unresponsive to everything going on, stood up next to his Baltics.

"I apologize for creating such a miserable mood," said Russia. "Starting today, I will send a few of my own ships to look for Estonia. I'll take responsibility for my sunflowers, da?" Russia's eerie smile sent a strange aura to the nations but not wanting to get into Russia's way, remained silent. After taking his cellphone out of his jacket, he sent the order for a fleet to search for Estonia.

"Thank you for your concern." stated Lithuania to America.

* * *

Meanwhile in parts unknown…

The word "puzzled" was an understatement when explaining Estonia's feelings. Such deep thinking and concentration rarely occurred for a top student like him. At the same time, he felt thrilled analyzing the historic materials the little girl lead him too.

"How strange. So familiar, yet so unfamiliar…" Estonia picked up something resembling a eroding lamp. "It looks like 3rd century oil lamp. From its design, it could have been from the Romans or Greeks." Another piece of pottery he picked up looked quite different. "Judging from its jade color, it looks heavily Chinese." A shiny metal figure caught his eye. "That's definitely egyptian…" On the left of it, there were multicolored beads in a glass jar. "I don't even know…"

"Eesti!" sang the little girl as she sat on his lap. Her childish innocence soothed his racing mind.

"How did you know my name in Estonian when I never told you?" Unresponsive, the girl hummed a tune and patted her knees to the rhythm. "You're different, you know? Not a lot of countries have artifacts from a wide variety of cultures like you do. Also, you seem to know multiple languages… not fluently but the variety is the interesting part. Are you ready to hear my hypothesis?" As if she could understand, she watched him intentively.

"Oui?"

"Okay. You, little one, haven't been an actual country yet. I'm not quite clear on his part, but I guess many different cultures came together here in harmony once or maybe even on multiple occasions. They must have left you here for some reason…" Estonia looked into the girl's eyes and thought of how someone could leave such a sweet country all alone. "...Did they even give you a name?" With a soft yawn, she curled up onto his chest and closed her eyes. He folded his arms around her and held her tight; he wondered how long she had waited to be held once again. Softy, he whispered to her, "I'm going to give you a name. How about… Rahu? It means 'peace' in my language. Your country… Rahu-maa? Rahumaa. I like that. How about you, Rahu?" As he looked down upon her, he found her far into sleep. "I'll take that as a yes. As of tomorrow, I'll take you under my wing, so you'll never be forgotten again." Holding her tight, he stood up and found what looked to be an old bed. He tucked her into bed and kissed the top of her forehead. "Sweet dreams, Rahu…" After finding a soft mat to sleep on, Estonia also fell into a deep slumber, dreaming of what tomorrow might bring.

* * *

Authors Note:

\(^o^)/ Finally! I've been so excited for this chapter for days! Chapter three is already in process and from the looks of it, every chapter gets more thrilling and deeper. I'm noticing that I like to use words from different languages so if you're unsure of a word, I'll include it down here:

"Licht an": "Light's on" in German

Eesti: "Estonia" in Estonian

Jah: "Yes" in Estonian

Varjupaik: "asylum; shelter; refuge; haven; sanctuary; home" in Estonian

Oui: "Yes" in French

Rahu: "Peace" in Estonian

Maa (from Rahumaa): "land" in Estonian (so Rahumaa somewhat means "Peace-land")

If any of the translations are off, please tell me! Also, comment if you liked or have some constructive feedback!


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